Grandma'S Spicy Sweet Pickles - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 lbs cucumbers, after slicing
1/3 cup salt
1 quart white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 tablespoons whole mixed pickling spices
1 tablespoon alum
5 cups sugar

Preparation

Slice cucumbers about 1/8 inch thick.
Pour salt over cucumbers.
Pour enough boiling water over all to cover.
Stir and let stand 8 hours or overnight.
Drain and discard brine.
In a saucepan, combine vinegar, 1 cup sugar, spices and alum.
Bring to a boil.
Put cucumbers in a large glass jar or plastic bucket with lid or a stoneware crock.
Pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers.
Cover and let stand.
Next day, and each consecutive day for 5 days total, stir in one additional cup of sugar.
Do not reheat when sugar is added.
At the end of the 5th day, pickles are done and may be stored in covered jar.
Do not seal jars.
Pickles will keep indefinitely and get better with age.